Baha'i Library Forum

Thanks for your reply. Hope you're doing well.

You may see this effort as a blaspheme or as a sacrilege for now, but we will submit our version to the UHJ before even talking about it. Iranian translators who are familiar with this Persian poetic style are difficult to find these days. I was just citing the full source (I thought the first part...

I don't live in the United States, so i'm not sure if the above will work. I live in Vancouver, which has a hugely developed Baha'i Community. In fact, it's where this very site is located. Aha. Vancouver is a very nice place, as is Canada in general. A few people on this forum I take it live there...

Hi Richard, Can you please define "intellectual thought"? You consistantly use the word disparagingly, and it seems like you also use it interchangeably with "fanaticism." In your opinion, who is a "fanatic"? If you could provide a clear definition, that will help us be...

A fireside will usually consist of a lecture on a topic related to the Baha'i Faith, followed by questions (which is pretty free-form; the seeker can ask specific questions he has related to the Baha'i Faith). Sometimes firesides are more creative and are accompanied by live music, for example. This...

From Baha'u'llah's Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys , which Majnun quoted from: Secrets are many, but strangers are myriad. Volumes will not suffice to hold the mystery of the Beloved One, nor can it be exhausted in these pages, although it be no more than a word, no more than a sign. "Knowle...

Our One & Only God of all of us is our Perfect Authority on all Truth, Love, and Goodness; but, He is not an authoritarian dictator. He will not use coercion, or violate our free wills, in the short run, even if we go against His Will because of our ignorance or our selfishness. Many people see...

That is, it is His Will that we relate to and treat others with the love, goodness, patience, kindness, peacefulness, faithfulness, self-control, and humility that God shows us. Do you have a source? Is that source perhaps the saying of a Prophet, who was sent to us by God so that we could know wha...

Listen Majnun. From what I can tell you seem to be following the Baha'i Faith as an atheistic UFO religion, are you not? Anyone can tell you now that the Baha'i Faith DOES NOT teach that God is an alien or anything like that. On top of that, you seem to be openly critical to figures such as Chirst ...

Dear Loren: You said, As a Baha'i, I am personally bothered (albeit slightly) by all the images of Jesus everywhere, which for me is a violation of the prohibition in the faith to portrait or represent the Manifestations of God. That is your personal feeling, as you say. I am not talking about perso...

There is nothing wrong with seeing Baha'u'llah. For Baha'is it should be done in a proper and reverent way, however, for those who are not Baha'is, there are no such restrictions, and I don't think it makes us look well to try and censor the outside world. Generally, people should be sensitive to t...

That is, the more we seek, find, and do God’s Will in all our relationships with others, the more we can help, rather than hurt, them. What is "God's Will"? More specifically, what is His Will for Today, according to you? Is it to finally unify all people via His current spiritual Truths ...

Argos wrote:Accepting Baha'u'llah isn't saying that one name is superior to another name. Its recognizing a resurgence of God's mercy to wash away the earthly attachments we have covered religion with and an extension of Gods teachings for our current needs.

Flawlessly stated.

Well, Majnun, i'm sorry you don't respect Jesus as much as i respect Baha'u'llah. And, sadly, you are the first Baha'i Faith person i have ever heard denigrate Jesus. Indeed, i have been encouraged to see so many Baha'is find such great spiritual comparisons & parallels between the Baha'i teach...

Richard,

Who has "problems balancing theological thought and spiritual truth and experience"? Those who are aware of and submit to God's new Truths, or those who don't?

diversity can lead to conflict due to authoratative(f7) ambiguties. hence the master, the guardian and the UHJ. the cure to disunity is an established truth and consultation Well said, Donald. If I may add to that—if there is only One God, and there are only His Truths (and no other "truths&qu;...

Anyway, is there any reason why I couldn't follow the law of the Bayan whereby I get a tatoo of "allahu akbar" on my chest. I would quite like that actually, thought I'd probably go for allahu abha instead. I don't think that would be a disrespectful use of the Greastest Name. "The o...

I would not call the laws of the Bayan "crazy." If they were laws at some point, then they were important for the time. God's laws are never "crazy," just changing.

He is the One and Only God and Father of us all and our love for Him should stay us from arguing among ourselves like spoiled, spirit deficient children... richard Richard, no one was arguing in the other thread. We were exchanging ideas. You don't think it is necessary for one to belong to a relig...

Hi Richard,

You responded to my second-last post twice, but not the latest one.

I'll check out your new thread.

—B.W.

I don't think any of us should ever distance ourselves from the spiritual truths, love, and goodness of any religion. Indeed, we should embrace that in all religions and even reflect it in our beings, doings, and relationships with our God and all others... That is spiritually more important than r...

BW: But what is really "independent spiritual faith & investigation"? Is it to investigate the world religions, and not pick one? Sometimes yes & sometimes no! It depends upon the investigator’s level of spiritual faith & comprehension of spiritual truth in the interpersonal, ...

My points to BW was simply of word choice; I believe, as he stated, he did not mean to imply we should return any kind of evil for evil. But I hope we can all take a lesson from this that zeal can very easily be confused with aggression, especially among those not familiar with the Baha'i community...

Verily I say, this is the Day in which mankind can behold the Face, and hear the Voice, of the Promised One. The Call of God hath been raised, and the light of His countenance hath been lifted up upon men. It behoveth every man to blot out the trace of every idle word from the tablet of his heart, ...

I'm sure for example many of the early Baha'is, even some of the famous ones, had some major faults. It depends on the context, if it's a scholarly one I think you'd also list some negative aspects of the person's life, especially if his hidden (or obvious) dark or negative actions would help us bet...

"In brief, let each one of you be as a lamp shining forth with the light of the virtues of the world of humanity. Be trustworthy, sincere, affectionate and replete with chastity. Be illumined, be spiritual, be divine, be glorious, be quickened of God, be a Bahá'í." So then, my question is...

Thank you again, Brett, and correct me if you think i am wrong, but Jesus' views above seem very consistent with the Baha'i teachings and your stated understandings of them in your reply to Zazaban and BW on the thread about the picture of Baha’u’llah picture on wikipedia… richard Of course "J...

"O reverend personage, lover of Truth!***Thy works are no doubt of great benefit and if they are published send us a copy!" (Tablet to August Forel) Don't these people realize that if 'Abdu'l-Baha were only to have written to people who didn't have any flaws, then He wouldn't have written...

Hi Brett, Nice to see you posting again. Thanks for your concern. I know "self-defense in an organized religious warfare context" is prohibited, but defending the Faith through writing is in fact encouraged by Baha'u'llah. Perhaps I should have used a different word though. "Stifle&qu;...

I think on the English version it has/had the picture of Baha'u'llah. Your concerns are appreciated, Zazaban, especially since you are a Buddhist (what happened to your Buddhist thread by the way? looks deleted). Yes, we should do all we can to stifle anti-Baha'i efforts. But one good counterattack,...

"It condemns the prostitution of art and of literature, the practices of nudism and of companionate marriage, infidelity in marital relationships, and all manner of promiscuity, of easy familiarity, and of sexual vices." -Shoghi Effendi, ADJ, pg.30 What is companionate marriage and why is...

Baha'is are FREE to believe that Joseph Smith was a Seer, or disbelieve it. Yes... But Shoghi Effendi believed it. According to hearsay. Whatever Shoghi Effendi "desires to convey to the friends at large he will always say in his general letters," and furthermore he "has often said t...

From " Pilgrim's notes about Shoghi Effendi" by Ramona Brown ( http://bahai-library.com/index.php5?file=brown_memories_abdulbaha ): "Joseph smith was a seer, not a Prophet of God, neither major nor minor Prophet. He had a high standard... but the Bahá'ís have a higher standard coupled...

For the record, Darrick Evenson IS A BAHA'I, but not currently enrolled in the AO. I am not a "non-bahai" as Jonah wrote. Dear Darrick, That'd be like an illegal immigrant saying that he's a U.S. citizen. When statistics of the Baha'i Faith are taken (even by disinterested sources such as...

Well, BW, you may not agree, but I think all of us in this world are brothers and sisters in the Spirit of our One & Only God, our Heavenly Father, but we are not necessarily mindful of that fact. If we are born of the same mother, we are blood brothers and sister; and, since we were all create...

Hello Curt & BW, I do appreciate your many good insights and comments and think you are good, decent, and even spiritually aware Baha'i Faith members. That said, human ego, even onto human spiritual pride, can be very subtle in even our sincere attempts at verbal communications, whereas spiritu...

Hi Richard, What is there to confess about "ENTHUSIASTIC LOVE, WORSHIP, PRAISE, TRUST, AND THANKS FOR THE ONE AND ONLY GOD OF US ALL"? If you "confess that the only hope, faith, and want-to-believe currently in my heart, mind, soul, being, thoughts, feelings, words, and doings have to...

Richard, Try to see the wisdom in Curt's post. (Sometimes my posts I suppose come across as being too "hardcore" to some, so it's nice when a Baha'i like Curt can say the same thing in a different way.) Truly (and sadly), there are too many people out there who won't join the Baha'i Faith ...

I hear what you are saying theologically, but my concern, as always, is spiritual. As is mine. As imperfect humans we are often more attracted to religions formally & intellectually in our minds, rather than spiritually, in the spiritual truth of our One and Only God of All in all of our hearts...

via the Baha'i teachings. OK!!! But not via any other of the world's religions, not even by the supreme and ultimate religion of Universal Spiritual Truth, Beauty, Goodness, and Love??? There are many sources of truth, including those of previous world religions and philosophy. But as Baha'u'llah s...

via the Baha'i teachings. OK!!! But not via any other of the world's religions, not even by the supreme and ultimate religion of Universal Spiritual Truth, Beauty, Goodness, and Love??? There are many sources of truth, including those of previous worlds religions and philosophy. But as Baha'u'llah ...

We are not worthy (it was not our right to be created), but we can make ourselves less unworthy if we follow God's divine instructions, via the Baha'i teachings.

Oxford American Dictionaries: "1 In the Bible, the names of enemies of God's people. In Ezek. 38–9, Gog is apparently a ruler from the land of Magog, while in Rev. 20:8, Gog and Magog are nations under the dominion of Satan."

BW, at this point in time, if i were to join any formal religious group, it would be the Baha'i Faith because of the very rich spiritual truths in the teachings. However, these truths are universal and unified in the Spirit of our One and Only God of All who supports the spiritual truths and goodne...

I didn't really notice anything different...

While these words are purported to be Muhammad's and are cited many times by Muslims, including the "seal of the prophets" verse in the Koran, His sermon is still in conformity with the concept that God always sends men "prophets"—or at least the sermon doesn't contradict this fa...

Baha'u'llah returned in spiritual fulfillment of the prophesies of Christ. He returns in spiritual fulfillment of others too, like Maitreya (5th Buddha), Krishna for Hindus, etc. Since Baha'u'llah is the "Sender of the Messengers," His station is above them all, and that is why He can retu...

When in doubt, wiki! "...The confusion of Sabaeans with Sabians began with Marmeduke Pickthall's spelling mistake in his translation of the Qur'an. The word "Sabaeans" comes from a completely different root spelling beginning with the letter "Sad" instead of the letter "...

someone wrote:what about for MS?

for my brother the only consistant relief for the symptoms is 'da ganga.

has the UHJ ruled on medical applications? or is the line in the Aqdas enough?

I believe it is allowed for medical uses, according to the UHJ. I can look for a source later.

mountianally wrote:Thank You for your help....I contacted our local Bahai office from the link you posted.

Great! Good luck with that.

—BW

But there is somthing rather meditative about the act of smoking..Yaqui Indians smoked Jimson weed and Lobilia mixtures along with hallucinogenic mushrooms. I've tried these and they are really not my spiritual path...However, I thought Bahai were into tolerance and acknowledgement of other religon...

Well, BW, i appreciate you comments and question because they will help me to better understand myself and my relationship with our One and Only God, as well as with all others in His Universal Family... That said, i know it may seem your basic question, and the answer to it are simple, but i assur...

Hello BW, You wrote: Richard: Ifyou don't mind me asking: Do you believe that Baha'u'llah was a Manifestation of God (or 'Prophet'), and thus that the Baha'i Faith is an "authentic" (God-sent) religion? Best, BW Yes, and yes; imho, Baha'u'llah was, and is, a Major Manifestation of the spiritual tru...

I think I am interested in the International group who is responsibile for the Houses of Worship in India and Chile. There is a Neal Chase here in Montana and a group that goes by Bahai Under the Protection of the Covenent, is this or is this not the same group? I appriciate any help here, Peace an...

Richard:

If you don't mind me asking: Do you believe that Baha'u'llah was a Manifestation of God (or 'Prophet'), and thus that the Baha'i Faith is an "authentic" (God-sent) religion?

Best,

BW

Hello, I am new to the library and Baha'i communities in general, you could say I'm a 'seeker'...however, I did want to clear something up in the current discussion, hash and opium are NOT marijuana! Opium is a derivative of the poppy plant while marijuana and hash(ish) are derived from the cannibu...

You appear to have either no idea what science actually is about in its totality (did you actually state on this forum that you are a pre-med student???), or you are fabricating a ridiculous distortion in order to avoid the real point, which is that the Baha'i teachings are clear that doctinal rigi...

BW and some other guy went so far as to directly attack me and state that ex-Baha'is are evil for rejecting Baha'u'llah (I'm paraphrasing, but the statements were very close to that). Epierce, it is offensive that you accuse me of stating that "ex-Baha'is are evil for rejecting Baha'u'llah." Your "...

In most cases, "subversives" exist because there is some form of abuse of power or authority, and/or a system or organization has become highly dysfunctional. Dysfunctional organizations lack transparency, promote a culture of lies and distortions, sometimes to the point of becoming cult-like, are ...

All of the above are tactics of fanatics, extremists and people that have unhealthy desire for power and ego gratification. That's all very vague. Baha'i institutions that don't like recusants attacking their Faith are "extremists" and "fanatics"? You make it sounds like Baha'is (and Baha'i institu...

Yes, and Baha'is also trash ex-Baha'is and reformers on a regular basis, including engaging in horrifying abuses of administrative authority in order to silence critics. Define "trash." And can you give any examples of the alleged "horrifying abuses of administrative authority in order to silence c...

While parents may be naturally disappointed and may seek to persuade their children otherwise, any kind of forcefulness, much less shunning others is explicitly prohibited in the Faith (except in the very rare case of Covenant-breaking--which is an entirely different matter). I have to say though, ...

Richard: Just wondering, you have mentioned that you don't like organized relgion because of sectarianism. But there are no sects of the Baha'i Faith. Have you looked into it by any chance, gone to Baha'i firesides/devotionals and other Baha'i gatherings? I don't know if there are any firesides in y...

As far as the Bahá'í interpretation of "Seal of the Prophets", the Bahá'í Writings might be seen as making both kinds of arguments, that the Prophet Muhammad may be seen: 1) ... as the last of the nabi (though admittedly the quotation as follows could conceivably be used instead to argue that the t...

Her local assembly would know, they have the list of the Baha'is. Of course, I don't know if they'd release the info to you—Brett or Jonah would know more about this issue. I doubt though that non-Baha'is have access to such information, but I could be wrong. This girl looks like she just wants atte...

Just curious, why would you want that?

Since when do Baha'is "vehemently" hate "an integral approach"? If you mean integrating anti-Baha'i ideas with Baha'i ones, then it should be obvious why those partciular ideas wouldn't be accepted. Epierce, we are all "longing," but it is unproductive to long for something and get depressed that it...

As I've pointed out before, research indicates that most people in the Baha'i community self-identify as having a dominant need for a sense of "group belonging". (see the article on this web site titled "Common Threads"). I've seen this as "too much warm/fuzzy", feel good fluff, if not excess expre...

I've been deleting some spam recently that contain explicit pictures (it has the image in the actual message). Since we have a mixed audience here, I might suggest that perhaps we disable the ability to post images? Just an idea.

—W

I heard that when Tahereh removed her veil and said that the emancipation of women couldn't be stopped, the first women's conference was held in the U.S. I believe (or maybe a few days later). Anyone know about this? I might have it wrong though...

Search found 753 matches

Re: note on citations

Re: Still Searching...

Re: THOUGHTS ON REAL, OBTAINABLE EXPERIENCES OF SPIRITUAL UN

Re: fault-finding, silence, and biographies

Re: RESIST NOT EVIL, YEA, EVEN RETURN GOOD FOR EVIL

Re: Companionate Marriage

Re: Baha'is MAY believe that Joseph Smith was a Seer!!!!!

Re: Jesus' resurrection

Re: Personal Confessions of Spiritual Enthusiasm for God

Re: Are we worthy? A spiritual perspective...

Re: Confussion concerning Bahai groups???!!!

Re: hashish, opium, and marijuana

Re: Covenant and fundamentalism (Universal House of Justice)

Re: don't rule out abuse by Baha'i families/institutions/lea

Re: don't rule out abuse by Baha'i families/institutions/lea

Re: substitute "drink" for "think"

disable the ability to post images?